For the Love of a Dog by Mike DeCamp

For the Love of a Dog

By Mike DeCamp

Clint Davis emailed me a video the other day.  He didn’t say anything in the email.  He just sent the link.  At first, I was hesitant to click on it.  I thought he might have been hacked and maybe it was a virus.  However, he called me a day or so later and told me it was okay.

So, I watched it.  Here’s the link if you want to check it out: https://vimeo.com/122375452

I’m not going to give it away, but it’s entitled “Denali” and it’s about a man and his dog—from the dog’s perspective.  It will make you cry.

Sugar--and I guess maybe she is judging my clothing choices.

I’ve had five dogs in my life.  The last two (Leo & Xena) are still with me.  I’ve loved them all, and they’ve all loved me back.  I can remember my first one, Sugar.  She was a puppy when my folks got her—the runt of the litter.  I was one.  She died when I was seventeen.  She used to sit so patiently and listen to all of my problems.  No judging.  No laughing.  She didn’t drift off.  She didn’t get distracted by the TV or her cellphone.  She just sat there and let me vent, smiling her doggie smile.  And, then she’d give me an affectionate lick on the cheek.  I always felt better after our “talks” out on the back landing at my folk’s house.

Sally was my third dog.  We got her when my girls were young, and we had to put her down when she was around ten or eleven—some sort of tumor on her snout.  She was my dog.  No one could hold her if I called her.  Like Sugar, she was an outdoor dog, but if I was outside, she was right there with me.  If I sat down, she hopped up next to me—so affectionate.  And, like Sugar, she was a great listener.  Something in my heart broke when she died.

Leo with Nancy, and Xena by her dish

Leo is one of my current dogs.  He’s really Nancy’s dog.  She is his favorite by far, but he loves me too.  He just wants to be with us.  If one of us goes upstairs, he cries.  When we come back down, he acts like he hasn’t seen us for years.  He jumps, bounces, and runs around the room with joy.  If I bend over, he hooks his front legs on me and sort of pulls himself into my arms.

I wonder—what would it be like if we loved one another the way that our dogs love us?

Listening without judging.  No laughing.  No condemning.  No conditions.  Just listening out of love.

Paying attention without distraction.  Always there—in the moment.

Eager to show affection.  Okay, so no licking, but still, a warm hug would be nice.

Overjoyed to see one another.  I mean, seriously joyful, bouncing off the walls happy to be together.

Well, so maybe bouncing off the walls with joy is a bit much to ask, but the Bible does have something to say on the matter:

1 Peter 1:22 – Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.  Apostle Peter

Romans 12:10 – Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Apostle Paul

John 13:34-35 – A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.  Jesus

I know I’ve got a long ways to go before I reach the standard that has been set for me in scripture, but along the road I can learn from the example set for me by the unconditional and limitless love of my dogs. 

Even so, I promise not to jump up into your arms and lick your whole face when I see you.  I’ll stick to the warm hugs.

Addiction, My Father, and Me by Terry Gardner

Addiction, My Father, and Me

By Terry J. Gardner

 

Text:  As Paul “spoke about justice, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became fearful.” —Acts 24:25

 

God gave my father many gifts.  He was intelligent, handsome, and physically strong. In his youth, he was “tough,” and yet he knew the words of the Bible as well as anyone I have ever met.  He could speak fluently without notes, intelligently and, often, wisely.  My father was addicted to nicotine, hard liquor, and gambling.

 

In my earliest memories my father smoked—first, unfiltered Camel cigarettes, then filtered Camels, and, later, Pall Malls.  When my father discovered that he could buy a non-smokers’ insurance policy if he smoked cigars, he switched to Rum Soaked Crooks and, later, Bering Imperial Cigars.  Today twenty-five Bering Imperials sell for $96.25.  Dad had a champagne taste but had no budget.  He smoked from the moment he woke up in the morning until he went to bed at night. He showered with a lit cigar.  If he swam in a pool, he swam with a lit cigar.  When my father’s first grandson was born, someone told my sister that the child favored my father.  “Does he have a cigar in his mouth?” she asked.

 

My father’s trouble with alcohol began when he was sixteen and left home for a year.  Later he decided that he wanted to preach and overcame his thirst for alcohol for some time.  Yet by the time I was in high school he had begun to drink, more and more.  He favored Scotch, Johnny Walker Red Label. He would only have “one” drink at night but that “one” was “refreshed” over and over.  When my father drank, he would call me lazy and worthless, suggesting that I would never amount to anything.  I knew the alcohol was talking, but it was still painful to hear.

 

As for gambling, my father preferred the horses—frequenting Bay Meadows, a track near our home in San Mateo. He enjoyed Las Vegas from time to time, and who knows what else.  If you gamble long enough, the house always wins. My father gambled long enough.

 

I detested smoke from cigarettes and cigars, and suffered from asthma as a small child.  As I grew older, I pleaded with my father to quit smoking, but he could not do it.

 

Meanwhile, my father’s alcohol problem became unbearable.  In the late 1980s we intervened, persuading him to enter an alcohol treatment program in Minneapolis. He quit drinking for a while, but soon he was again a slave to alcohol.  I don’t know that my father ever tried to quit gambling.  I do know that—as in the song, Papa was a Rolling Stone—when my father died, “all he left me was alone.”

In his life, my father suffered pain and grief.  His mother and father had died of tuberculosis by the time he was seven years old.  Two of his older sisters had died from tuberculosis by 1949.  Yet many people loved my father and would have done anything for him.  His choices made no sense to me. Whenever I asked his advice, his counsel was wise—but he did not follow his own advice.

 

Jesus teaches that “everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin”  (John 8:34).  In my father’s early life drinking was a choice, but once he passed a certain point he became a slave to alcohol and he could not stop drinking . . . or smoking . . . or gambling.  The answer was clear: he needed to admit that he was a slave, that he was powerless to stop doing these things, and turn to God in faith.  That faith requires humility; my father was a proud man. The Bible warns us, “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 16:5) and “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”  (Proverbs 16:18).  My father was determined to “do it my way,” to live as he had chosen, without counting the cost to his health, to his family, or to his God.

 

I am my father’s son . . . yet God expects something more of me.  I can not blame my father for what I am for God expects me to learn from my father’s mistakes and to be a better man than my father was. God showed mercy to King Nebuchadnezzar, who did many things in his ignorance, but God showed no mercy to his son King Belshazzar.  Indeed the prophet Daniel delivered the message of God to Belshazzar, reminding him of all that happened to his father, and then added, “Yet you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven . . . you praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand, but the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.”  (Daniel 5:22-23).

 

I have avoided some of the sins of my father, but other sins are more challenging.  Christians are to take our thoughts captive, to eat and drink in moderation, and to control every physical passion.  I love to eat, and recently found myself becoming addicted to diet Coke.  Humility, trust in God, accountability, and prayer are necessary for self-control—it is, inevitably, a daily battle.  “I discipline my body and enslave it,” Paul wrote, “so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be lost” (I Corinthians 9:27).  Paul’s call to “self-control” terrified Felix.  It scares me, too.

What's the Point? by Steve Faidley

What’s the Point?

Alone.

We don’t function as well alone.

Sometimes we like our alone time, but that’s not the same thing.

We weren’t meant to be alone. Genesis 2:18 says,

 “The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Jesus surrounded himself with his apostles for the duration of his ministry.  When he sent them out to preach the gospel, we see in Mark 6:7-8 that he sent them out in pairs.

Paul was always working with a partner.  Paul and Barnabas.  Paul and Silas.  Paul and Mark.

The book of Ecclesiates tells in 4:9-12,

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Every year, as we get into the thick of planning for our annual trip to Spring Mill Bible Camp, I ask myself what benefit for God’s kingdom are we accomplishing with all this expenditure of energy, time and money?

So, what’s the point?  We were not created to be alone, to work alone, to serve alone.  We were created for relationship.

One of the great benefits of camp is the relationships that get created under the banner of and through the bonds of Christ.  It’s a wonderful thing to watch two kids that didn’t know each other on Sunday get to be companions during the week.  It’s a wonderful thing to see kids gravitate toward their Bible class teachers as they get to know them…and then watch their faces light up when they come home and see them at church (or anywhere)! It’s a wonderful thing after a long and fatiguing week to come home and be told, “My child hasn’t stopped talking about camp.”  Or, “We sang camp songs all the way home!”  Or even when a tear is shed because the week is over and they have to come home.  Then my heart melts and tears well up in my eyes, and I’m reminded of the point.

We build relationships within the arms of Christ.

Some of our kids don’t have much spiritual support at home.  Some kids face frequent rejections.  Some are just like your kids.  What we get to do for one week is feed each other spiritually, shelter each other from the treatments of the world, lift up our voices in praise and worship, and share in the love of the Lord.  We get to grow our relationships!  Kids with kids.  Teachers with kids.  Cook with nurse.  Counselor with counselor.  The combination can go on!  But ask just about anyone that has spent a week at camp if they didn’t come back with better relationships within the body of Christ than when they left?  We have a chance at camp to help our kids establish peer and mentor relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ that can help plant their feet on the rock.  And as the camp song goes, “…and when the rains come down, and the floods come up”  that house will stand firm!

I hope camp continues for many years to come! 

A Broken Heart and the Laughter of Children by Mike DeCamp

I had a rough weekend.  Sometimes, when you shoulder responsibility, the burden can get pretty heavy, and I was definitely feeling it over the 4^th of July weekend.  Most of the time, being an elder is pleasant and rewarding.  Sometimes however, it is heavy.  When you couple that with my emotional nature and my highly empathetic heart, it can occasionally weigh me way down.  On Saturday, I felt like I had a 10-ton anchor sitting on my chest.  Let’s just say that I was definitely not a joy to be around.  (You can give an “atta-boy” to my wife and daughters for putting up with me.)

On top of the general leadership burden I was feeling, I had also lost a niece to liver failure earlier in the week.  She had passed away after complications arose from liver disease that I’m told was prompted by her life-long abuse of alcohol.  On Thursday before the weekend started, her sister showed me a picture of her taken not long before her death.  If I’d been standing right next to her, I would not have recognized her.  But, before all of that, she was just a little girl, and I remember her mostly that way.  She spent hours, even days, at my parent's place.  She had a rough home life as a kid, and our house could sometimes be a sanctuary for her.  She was at all of our family gatherings.  She was family, despite the fact that our paths had gone in different directions as adults and I had not seen her in many, many years.  And, she was gone.  Gone way too young.

My heart was weary and broken.

Then, two wonderful things happened to renew my spirit.

First, our family had a cookout on Sunday evening, and we invited a collection of friends from different seasons of our lives to come join us.  Nearly everyone we asked was able to join us, and we had a whale of a time.  God assisted by clearing out the rain for the day. Then I grilled burgers and hotdogs—inhaling way too much grill smoke in the process—and we sat around on my deck and told stories for hours.  We renewed our bonds, and created some new ones.  We laughed.  We solved the world’s problems—if only people would listen to us.  And, we encouraged one another.  I have to tell you—fellowship is good for the soul.  I felt so much better.

Second, on Tuesday night—after I had driven from Evansville to Plainfield in the rain, and then traversed the city, dodging crazy traffic and out-of-sync traffic signals—Nancy, my daughter Andrea, and I loaded up in the car and drove to Muncie.  We went there to attend my niece’s memorial service.  Again, circumstances were trying to discourage me.  More rain.  Crazy traffic.  Water flowing over the road.  We were late, and missed most of the formal service.  Still, we were able to see the family.

Then, the most amazing thing happened…

I have nieces who have had children already.  (That does seem a little crazy to me, but it is true.)  Some of the little ones I have met, but not all.  None of them really remembered me.  There were five or six of these little ones running around the room where the family was gathered, and they were all preschool age or younger.  Well, I sat down and started talking and teasing with a couple of them, which led me to a simple magic trick—I pulled a fake rose petal out of one of their ears. The first two little girls were amazed!  "I think you're a magician," one of them said.  Well, the next thing I know, I’m pulling dimes, nickels, and pennies out of all of the ears, noses, and mouths of all of the kids in the room!  They were swarming me.  (It’s a good thing I had a pocket full of change.)  They were happy and giggling.  “Pull it out of my ear! Please!”  “Do it again!”….”and again”…”and again.”

They were laughing.  I was laughing.  Their eyes were sparkling with joy.  And, suddenly, my heart felt lighter than it had in months.

No wonder Jesus wanted the little children around him.

Matthew 19:14 New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

I suppose the moral of this article is this.  The next time you are feeling the burdens of life, do two things: Spend time with good friends, and take the time to connect with little kids.

Nothing is more encouraging than the laughter of children and the sparkle in their happy eyes.

"Bittersweet" - Revisited by Frank Black

“BITTERSWEET” – Revisited  (Medical Missions)

(F Black – July 2015)

I was reminded of my article, entitled “Bittersweet”, written upon return from serving at Chimala Mission Hospital last year.  Here I am one year later having again just returned from serving there. After re-reading the article from last year, I thought I’d just have it reprinted.  Not really. But little has changed in the interim – in fact, little has changed in the Hospital and the Village in the 20 years since Lou Ann and I lived and served there (1992-1997).  This is one of the distinctions in answering, “What is Third World?” à “CHANGE: LITTLE and very SLOWLY!!”  The only glaring exception is the presence of the cell phone.  Even Masaai men, cattle herders from deep in the “bush”, have cell phones.  They’re cheap, and people pay for their minutes of usage. -- I always wonder, “Who calls them?”

       First of all let me tell you what I didn’t miss during our month in Tanzania.  We had no TV, no internet connection, etc. Beginning to get the point?  No politics; no info about bombings and other distant tragedies; no incessant info leading up to the Supreme Court’s decisions of last week. Very refreshing!  We could totally focus on our quite challenging tasks at hand. This brings me naturally to the question, “Why do you go there?”  The one word answer is NEED.  So many people are so sick and have basically no money and no access to even limited medical care.  Our medical team is able to provide good quality care at no cost to as many as possible.  At the same time we endeavor to show people the love and compassion that Jesus showed in His healing.  He gave us medical missionaries what I call our “marching orders”:  “Jesus sent them out (His disciples) to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:2).

       I’ll give you just a few examples of the galactical differences in your world and the world of the people of Chimala:

       The evil spirit world (animism) is all too alive and well.  One morning there was a disturbance at the hospital.  It seems the uncle of a three year old albino child had come during the night to steal the child from his mother.  Why? He planned to sacrifice the child and sell his body parts for witchcraft activities (apparently in the evil spirit world the genetic difference of albinism holds some “special power.”).The boy’s mother and some other family helped fight off the uncle.  The child was uninjured but his mother was admitted for some injuries.  The uncle had been apprehended and was taken by the police. My comment to the people there was, “Mungu amekuwa na uwezo zaidi.” (God has more power). 

       We had a seventeen year old girl die from complications of “local medicine” she took to cause a miscarriage. Abortion is illegal in Tanzania, plus it is a disgrace to a girl’s family if she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. [How refreshing! – and it’s called “Third World”]. At this same time we had another young girl who took the same ‘medicine’.  She survived but did lose the baby. 

       They sound much less dramatic and almost mundane; but trust me, we save more lives treating malaria, dysentery, and pneumonia than the much more ‘exotic’ sounding diseases. 

       Difficult decisions:  The first thing one morning I was checking Obstetrics as usual. There were two women in labor with their first pregnancies. Both women were having difficulty, and both babies were showing signs of extreme distress.  I sent the lady for a C-section first whose baby seemed in the most distress. Shortly after surgery, the baby did well.  There was about an hour between the two C-section cases. The second baby was severely depressed – not breathing on its own for about 45 minutes.  The baby died the next day.  Why am I telling you this?   We have one operating room. A decision had to be made as to who went first. The extra hour was just too damaging to the baby.  Two simultaneous C-sections were needed.  Just not possible. Add this to the list, “What is Third World?” Can you just imagine the ramifications of such a situation in the USA!!?

       On a much lighter note:  We had a hippopotamus bite one day.  Fortunately, the man was able to outrun the hippo and was bitten on ye ol’ bohunkus. - Not something you’re likely to see in the St. Francis ER.

       --------------------------------------------------

       Of course most of my time was taken up being a doctor, but I was able to give devotionals at the hospital, pray with patients, speak at church, and give a series of talks on HIV/AIDS – some for the hospital staff and some during a Seminar for young adults held at the church on the Mission.  In addition to dispelling fallacies about the disease I always emphasize that God’s Laws of Sexual Behavior are the best prevention. [As per my article last year, HIV/AIDS is a huge problem in Chimala where it is spread heterosexually]

      ---------------------------------------------------

       It was a special pleasure for Lou Ann and me to have our granddaughter, Hope Faidley,with us.  She’s mature well beyond her 16 years.  She didn’t just “tag along” but pitched right in and helped us medically, just like the Harding senior nursing students.

       I conclude with the same quote used last year:

              “You have the blessing of location.

             They are the victims of location.”

Life Lived "On the Other Hand" by Greg York

Life Lived “On the Other Hand”: Some Meditation on What Happened in Charleston Last Week                            

 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.  – Paul, in Romans 12.21

 

I cannot imagine that the minds of many in the Emanuel AME church, the friends and family of those nine killed in the shooting, did not turn in the direction of anger, vengeance, and retribution, at least at some point.

 

Maybe that says more than anything else something about the pathetic limits of my imagination.

 

But I cannot imagine that thoughts of retribution did not flash through their minds.

 

After all, that’s just human nature. And if there is anything our current society trumpets as “good” it is to go with how you feel, go with that nature, do what you feel, be “authentic.”

 

Certainly a great deal of the initial reaction I read and heard in our social media-saturated age in the first few days was, naturally, of the “angry retribution” kind. And, certainly, if anyone ought to be in the way of folks righteously throwing verbal stones it is those who are hate-filled racists. Let them know what it is to be on the receiving end of hatred and ostracism. I can go there so easily.

 

It just comes naturally, doesn’t it?

 

An aside: It comes so naturally, that in the Law of Moses, God set a limit on retribution [maybe at that point, a full stop on retribution would not have been possible; maybe the people just couldn’t have lived up to it]. One of the very first articulations of that limit is found mere verses after the Ten Commandments. Exodus 21.23-24: If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. The temptation is always to let retribution become a “plus one” situation: “You hit me, I’ll hit you harder…and twice.” That’s just natural, isn’t it? But God says, in a word, “no.”

 

And, then, as we’re absorbing the horror of this event and reacting to it, there comes a new wrinkle last Friday morning. There were members of that church, family members of five of the nine people killed, standing there less than two days after the shooting. Clearly grieving, but also clearly expressing their commitment to forgive the shooter.

 

To forgive the shooter.

The one who had murdered their relatives and friends. The one who had shouted racial epithets as he shot their relatives and friends. The one who still shouted racial epithets as he stood over the dead bodies surveying his “work” of slaughtering their relatives and friends. It is a hellish scene to contemplate if there has ever been one.

 

And there these folks are, expressing the desire, expressing their commitment, to live up to the call of Christ even in this moment of sheer, damnable hellishness. They thrust into the darkness of this event a shaft of God’s light.

 

And they were doing this at the initial bond hearing of the confessed shooter. It was not a theoretical moment. I understand from media reports that they saw him (on video feed, at least) as they offered forgiveness.

 

Jesus said this right before he said that to be like God involves learning to love your enemy: You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. That’s Matthew 5.38-42. And that’s not what comes naturally. At least not for me.

 

It’s as if Jesus says, “Yes, retribution is natural, and God made provision for it in the old law, but on the other hand, here’s an even more godly way to live.”

 

When Paul is trying to get churches to work on and work out their differences so that they can work for their common cause, he says things like this:

 

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4.31-32)

 

Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3.13)

 

Truth to tell, we have trouble doing that well among ourselves, even in a good church setting. Bitterness and anger and complaining just come so naturally, don’t they? But, on the other hand…

 

I know that this whole issue — the specifics of the Emanuel Church shooting, the struggle to come to terms with what Jesus says in Matthew 5.38-42, the stomach-turning ugliness of racism (even latent, hidden racism), perhaps even the factor of mental illness and how it is treated (ignored?) in this society — is incredibly complicated. And, unlike many in the blogosphere, the world of Facebook and other social media, and water-cooler type conversations, I don’t think there are any easy, obvious answers.

 

So, here’s a meditation, not an answer.

 

I want to hang on to that image of people standing to offer forgiveness in the face of horrible evidence of evil’s power.

 

There will be times as this process plays out when the commitment to forgive will be sorely tested for those people. That is because that commitment will always stand over against what comes naturally to our divided hearts. But they have said the words, they have made the commitment, they have taken the first step of a journey to life “on the other hand.”

 

I’ve quoted G. K. Chesterton on this before: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried.” Thank God for these people in Charleston who will at least commit to “try.” What an inspiration for us.

 

My journey will not be the same as theirs; my struggles with what comes naturally will be different. But if I am to consider myself a follower of Christ in this sad, dark age I will have to pursue life “on the other hand.” What other option represents him so well?

 

May Southeastern be a church that seeks with all our collective heart to see “the other hand” when tempted to act naturally and then to live “on the other hand.”

Forgotten Dreams by Mike DeCamp

Forgotten Dreams

By Mike DeCamp

Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, Lord,

like streams in the Negev.

Those who sow with tears

will reap with songs of joy.

Those who go out weeping,

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,

carrying sheaves with them.

 

As a young, idealistic man, I had some spiritual dreams catch ahold of my heart.  Recently, as I attended the “Celebration of Life” of a friend who passed away, I was reminded of those dreams.  It was brought back to my mind as we sang a song that is popular within the International Churches of Christ called “Men Who Dream” by Sherwin Mackintosh and Steven Johnson.  The song is based on the Psalm that I have shared above.  (If you want to hear the song, you can bring up versions of it on YouTube.)  The idea is that just as the captives that returned from the Exile into Zion were “like those who dreamed” because of the joy they felt as God blessed them, so we too can feel that same dreamlike joy as God blesses us as we fulfill His mission in our lives.

My life has changed a great deal over the years.  I’ve passed through seasons.  Some bright and spring-like.  Others, carrying the chill of winter.  Some lazy like a summer afternoon, and others as colorful as Brown County in October.  But, as I think back on some of those dreams, some of them have waned.  Can you relate?  Even so, I think some of them were very worthy to hold, and I want to take a moment to share some of those dreams with you as they find revival in my soul.

Fulfilling the Great Commission – Matthew 28 tells us to “go into all the world” in order to “make disciples of all nations.”  We can think of this as an abstract command—as something that someone, somewhere ought to go and try to do.  Or, we can take it as a personal mandate, and make it our dream.  For some of us, that might mean Honduras or Ghana.  Maybe India or Nepal.  But, for many of us, it really means Acton or Avon, Zionsville or Greensburg.  Or, maybe just that person in the next cubical or in that house next door.  Make a friend, make a disciple.

Loving God is the Most Important Thing – My dad was the first to tell me what Jesus told the “expert” in the law in Matthew 22.  Loving God is the most important thing.  If we don’t make that our first priority, it won’t matter how many great programs we have, or whether we redo the foyer.  Forget youth ministries, children’s ministries, and worship teams.  If we don’t love God first, what are we even doing here?  If not for this one key thing, I think a pontoon boat and a cooler would be a much better use of a Sunday morning.  Maybe that’s why so many folks are actually doing that instead.  Hmmmm.

A Church of JOYful Christians – I have written about this before, but as a child riding the church bus, I was taught that JOY is an acronym.  J = Jesus first, O = Others second, and Y = Yourself last.  It may be sort of counter-intuitive, but this prioritization of life actually works.  Our society disagrees, and it has bled over into all of our lives.  We’ve begun to think that our own opinions, needs, and desires take precedence over any other factors that may call upon our attention, but I’m going to say it—they don’t.  Not if we truly hold to the teachings of Christ.  “Seek first the kingdom of God…”-Matthew 7.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.”-Philippians 2.

A Church without Regard for Race – All of us who have been clothed with Christ are “children of God.”-Galatians 3.  We are one body.  If that is true, why do we not worship and work for God together?  Why are there still congregations that are primarily white or primarily black?  Do we not speak the same language?  Has not the blood of Christ cleansed us all?  Folks, we are way too pale at Southeastern.  The church should set an example to the world of how the love of God can bridge all gaps and break all barriers—even the barriers of race.  I have no doubt—we would stand opposed to intentional racism in our midst should it happen to arise.  But, let’s also take action to deal with the residual effects of the past by being intentional in our embrace of brothers and sisters of all racial and ethnic backgrounds—now.  Let’s build bridges.  Let’s encourage diversity in our spiritual family.  Let us build a congregation that can shine like a lighthouse of hope to our society.

Overflowing Worship – “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,…”-Ephesian 5:19.  This verse is commonly used in our family of churches as an argument about the use of musical instruments.  To do that is to miss the point and gut the meaning of the passage.  It is not about instruments.  It is about your heart—allowing your heart to overflow into your singing of joyful songs of thanksgiving to God.  We don’t talk about it much, but did you realize that this verse is a command?  It isn’t just a nice suggestion.  Paul instructed the Ephesians to sing.  And, he instructed them to sing from the heart.  As a Christian, singing really isn’t optional, and even more so, singing from the overflow of the heart isn’t either.  Of course, this assumes that we have a thankful heart, and that the joy of the Lord rests within us.  If that is not the case, then please take the time to call one of the ministers or one of the elders, and let them help you find that sweet spot in your heart so that your spirit can overflow in joyous song.  Our worship times should be a joyous celebration of our walk with God.

So, those are some of my dreams.  I don’t think they are unreasonable.  Do you?  I think if you help, and with a bit of unified effort, we can make a dent in some of them.  And, we can make a difference for God in our world, changing lives and growing hearts along the way.  But, maybe you have your own set of forgotten dreams that need to be re-fired and revived.  What are they?  Please share.

Perhaps, if we pool those dreams and stir those fires, then one day we can share in the joy expressed by the psalmist:

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”

Proverbs, Pride & a Crazy Deer Story by Terry Gardner

Proverbs, Pride & a Crazy Deer Story

By Terry Gardner

 

Every culture has proverbs that warn of the dangers of human pride.  The Persians have a proverb on the subtleties of pride:  “Thou shalt sooner detect an ant moving in the dark night on the black earth, than all the motion of pride in thine heart.”  The Italian proverb on pride reminds us “If pride were as art, how many graduates we should have.”  The Bible warns us about pride more than almost any other sin.

 

Pride is one of the devil’s three great tools. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”  I John 2:16.  Men and women that lust cannot defeat are easily destroyed by their pride.

 

How does pride lead us into sin? Believing there are some sins that I simply CANNOT commit.  Paul said he beat his body daily lest having preached to others he might become a cast-a-way.  I Cor. 9:27.  There is no temptation except those common among men.  I Cor. 10:13.  If David could lie, commit adultery and murder a just man, who are we to think we are immune from certain sins.  This is the reason that a smart man flees sin … he runs away from it.  “But flee from these things, (loving money, desiring to get rich) you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”  I Tim. 6:11.  Paul rebuked the Corinthian brothers and sisters because immorality had made them “arrogant” when they should have mourned over their sins.  I Cor. 5: 2.  “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”  2 Timothy 2:22.  “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”  I Cor. 10:14.  “When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom.”  Prov. 11:2.  Are you too proud to run away from sin?  If so, pride will catch you and destroy you.

 

Pride leads us into sin when we refuse to listen to the wisdom and counsel of others.  We think that no one can tell us what to do or as Billy Joel famously sang, “It’s my life, leave me alone.”  We all need the wisdom of others.  We especially need the wisdom of those who are older and wiser than we are.  True wisdom is not in learning from our own mistakes but rather comes from learning from the mistakes of others.  “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”  Prov. 14:12.

 

Pride equals a lack of faith in God.  “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD.”   Prov. 16:5.  In the garden of Eden, it was pride that sealed the deal for the devil.  He told Eve if she ate she would be as wise as God.  Eve trusted in her own pride rather than in what God had actually told her.  We live in a world where men in their pride think they are wiser than the God who created them.  The great Babylonian King Belshazzar “exalted” himself and gave not thought to the God who made the Universe at all.  Then came the “handwriting on the wall.”  Daniel delivered the message of God to the King … he had not only exalted himself but he had “praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand.  But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.”  Daniel 5:23.  No human being can avoid death.  It comes to us all very quickly and there is no pride in death.

 

Pride distorts reality.  “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”  Prov. 16:18.  Pride tells me I am indestructible when I am not.  Pride tells me I can’t be caught, that I am smarter than anyone else.  Pride tells me that if “I am not cheating, I am not trying.”  Pride can tell us not to listen to our spouses when they only want what is best for us.

 

I have sometimes suggested that if the Gardner family had a coat of arms and a motto that our motto should be “Certain but seldom right.”  Many years ago I had an argument at work.  The chief point of contention was if deer shed their antlers annually and then re-grew them.  This concept struck me as totally preposterous.  I could just see some poor little deer in the forest wrinkling up its little deer forehead and trying really, really hard to grow a new set of antlers.  I had a very good time mocking this ridiculous concept.  One problem.  It is true.  May the worst thing that happens to you be that your pride makes you look like a fool.  Do not be deceived pride usually leaves only death and destruction in its wake.  Think on these things.

Health Ministry Newsletter-June 2015 by Lisa Fleetwood

Men’s Health Facts

Percent of men 18 years and over in fair or poor health: 12.1%

Percent of men 18 years and over who currently smoke cigarettes: 21.2% (2010-2012)

Percent of men 20 years and over who are obese: 34.6% (2009-2012)

Percent of men 20 years and over with hypertension: 31.6% (2009-2012)

Leading causes of death are Heart disease, Cancer, and Accidents (unintentional injuries)

*Source CDC.gov

And some other scary findings:

According to a study conducted at Duke University, about 1/4 of all men have ZERO CLOSE FRIENDS. This study is significant because good health is closely tied to social support. In fact, a study at Brigham Young University found that social isolation is twice as bad for your health as obesity. Friends serve as our support structure when we are down. They encourage us to be our best and inspire us to more than we thought we could achieve.

Read Solomon’s writings in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV)

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The average man watches three hours of television PER DAY! Think about spending nearly a full day watching TV per week. We often lament that we are too busy to accomplish important activities that lead to better health, things like exercise, food preparation, or socializing. Clearly, we are busy, we are just not making the best use of our time. Identify your priorities, shave off a little couch time and substitute some healthier habits. 

*Source Bureau of Labor Statistics

Two out of three men spend less than 20 minutes to finish dinner, according to a study at Columbia University. That’s bad news because men who eat quickly are 84% more likely to be obese that those who take their time.

Men spend an average of 101 minutes driving every day according to research conducted at the University of California, Berkeley. Why does it matter? Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered that city driving is more stress inducing than skydiving and that stress is linked to a rise in cancer and obesity. Driving may well be one of the most unhealthy habits you have! Consider a carpool, walking, or riding your bike when you can.

*Source Men’s Health

What should you know?

Heart Disease is the number one killer of men yet half of all the men who die from the disease didn’t even know they had a problem. Your risk doubles every decade after the age of 45 and those with high blood pressure, cholesterol, or a family history of heart disease are more susceptible. Knowing the signs and seeking help early can help you live a longer, healthier life.

Signs of Heart Attack

• Squeezing, pressure or pain in the chest
• Sudden pain in either or both arms, your back, shoulder, jaw, or neck.
• Sudden shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat.
• Sudden cold sweats or nausea.

Prostate Health

If a man doesn’t know what his prostate is or what it does, he is not alone; most men don’t! Knowing some basics could save your life. Besides skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men. According to the American Cancer Society, 220,800 new cases are diagnosed each year. That’s one in seven men diagnosed during their lifetime (1 in 38 men will die from the disease). Know the symptoms and when to seek medical treatment.

 Problems passing urine or the need to urinate more often, especially at night.

 Blood in the urine

 Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones.

 Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord.

Talk with your doctor about early screening methods like the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test or a digital rectal exam.

*Source American Urological Association

Mental Health

While depression affects nearly 6 million men in the United States, many still go undiagnosed. A potential reason for this may be that men express symptoms of depression differently than women. While depressed women express sadness, men tend to display irritability, hostility, or become withdrawn. While women can feel anxious or scared, men may become suspicious and guarded. Some men even experience unexplained physical pain like frequent backaches, headaches, or stomach pain. Depression may be triggered by stress at work, marital or money problems, or a recent death. It is important to recognize the symptoms of depression as it can have devastating social and physical effects. Depression is a medical condition and requires professional intervention. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to talk honestly with a friend, family member, or doctor. Once correctly diagnosed, there is plenty you can do to successfully treat and manage depression. For more information, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Mental Health Association of Indiana at 1-317-638-3501.